Businesses often rely on computer systems to provide services to customers. For example, businesses may rely on electronic communications such as electronic mail (e-mail) to convey information. Businesses may also rely on other computer software applications to provide services for customers. For example, a sales organization may use other computer software applications to manage contacts with potential customers, as well as relations with current customers. Information used by these other business applications may be maintained by a backend database that is not accessible to the e-mail system. For example, a sales company that routinely sells items to the same customers may have contact information for these customers stored in a backend database so that it is integrated with, for example, accounts payable systems.
Employees of businesses are often required to use multiple computer software programs to provide services. For example, a sales manager may check one program that manages contacts with customers to see when a potential customer was last contacted and then transmit an e-mail using another program. This may require opening and closing multiple applications. Additionally, there may be no integration between the various computer programs that a sales manager must use. The sales manager must remember the appropriate application for the function that is selected, locate that application and then open it to perform the function. An employee would benefit from an integrated system that provides a unified access point for various applications.